Chapter 491: Passing the Test

“Master, did they notice us?” A young ranger looked scared and doubtful.

“They just stopped to take a break. We don’t’ have to wait anymore. We could attack them now,” Anfey said in a low pitch.

“Now? They have mages,” the young ranger said.

“Why are you talking so much? Just follow my order!” Robert said with a serious tone.

“Yes, sir.” That young ranger suddenly realized that he only needed to follow the order. He jumped on the horse and rushed forward with his fellows.

The army was ready to take a break. They were not aware of anything unusual. However, the clip-clop sounds of horse steps on the ground could not be covered when the rangers rushed out of the grass. The army noticed the danger. All the soldiers moved to a center while over a dozen people flew to the sky. Obviously, those who flew to the sky were mages.

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There were red lights flashing in the distance. A strong flare shot at a mage with fast speed and immediately left a hole in that mage’s chest. There was another flare flying above them before they even figured out what had happened. The mages in the air suddenly realized what happened. They hurriedly released their magic shields. They immediately realized those magic shields would not be able to protect them. The third Firebird whooshed over and easily pierced through magic shields and hit another mage’s head. That mage’s head exploded like a smashed watermelon. His blood and flesh splattered everywhere. This scene stunned over 400 soldiers.

Even though Anfey could not release forbidden spells, the senior level magic he released with his super telepathy and strong control over elements was more terrifying than the intensified magic Archmage Michael could release.

The regular Firebird could be shot out as far as 1,500 feet. The range could reach to 3000 feet with intensified magic. Anfey was 4,500 feet away from the army. If Anfey used bombing magic, he would not be able to control the elements with such a long distance. It was easy for Anfey to control the elements around him to attack the target at a distance. His sensing ability allowed him to lock in anyone in a distance.

Mages flew down one after another. None of them wanted to be Anfey’s target. However, this disaster was not finished yet. Another Firebird attacked the center of the army and created fires everywhere. Some mages laid on their stomach on the ground out of fear, but the Firebird still attacked them.

The soldiers from the Ellisen Empire thought the area north of Blackwater City would be safe, especially when they only needed to escort one criminal for this trip. There was no top power in this team so they could not fight against the Firebird at all. The whole team was almost crushed in the blink of an eye.

Rangers had already rushed close to the army. They had twenty rangers with them, much less people than the army, but more powerful than the soldiers all together from the Ellisen Empire.

About seven of the rangers were mages. They fearlessly flew into the sky and suddenly flew into different directions like a firework. Their mission was to stop and chase after the deserters. It sounded like a very hard mission to wipe out over 400 soldiers with only a little bit more than 20 people. However, with Anfey’s help and a huge power difference between the two parties, it was not a difficult task. If they could not complete this task, they should feel ashamed of themselves.

When Anfey and Robert arrived, the battle had finished. The grass in an area with a radius of thousands of feet was dyed bloody red. The air was filled with the metallic smell of blood.

Anfey realized the ruthless and cruel side of rangers. It might be the style they inherited from their ancestor, Minos. It also could be the habit they developed over time to protect themselves. Rangers killed people no differently than killing chickens. They were ruthless killers.

Anfey remembered what happened in White Mountain City. A mercenary had reported to Ye that few young men killed all the mercenaries in his squad. It seemed that rangers had acted this way for a long time.

“Master, we found Darius, but he looks like he has lost his mind,” a young ranger reported to Anfey with respect.

“Lost his mind?” Anfey raised one of his eyebrows.

The young ranger turned around and waved his hand. A man around sixty years old was pushed out. He was dressed very nice. He was a Grand Duke in a principality who showed his loyalty to the Ellisen Empire. At this moment, the Ellisen Empire did not need Grand Dukes anymore, but they still treated them decently. The old man had the manners of people in high positions. He was very clean and tidy. One could tell that he must have been a very handsome man when he had been young. However, at this moment, there was a dull and absent look on his face. He looked slightly up at the sky as he sang some unknown folk song. He didn’t seem to hear it when the rangers talked to him. He would just shake a bit with some giggles when he was pushed.

“If he is already crazy, he will be of no use for us. Kill him,” Anfey said casually.

The young ranger pulled his sword out and thrusted it backhanded at Darius’s chest.

Darius looked scared when he saw Anfey’s group was very decisive and could kill anyone they wanted to. He suddenly screamed, “Wait, please, master.”

The ranger’s sword went up a bit and slid over Darius’s shoulder, leaving a bloody cut there. Darius screamed in pain as he covered the cut with his hand.

“Be quiet!” Anfey said slowly. “Are you Darius?”

“Yes, yes.” Darius bent down with fears. He almost kneeled in front of Anfey.

“How does it feel being betrayed by the Ellisen Empire while you have showed your loyalty to them? It must not feel good, does it?” Anfey asked sarcastically.

Darius did not know how to respond to Anfey’s questions. He was afraid of aggravating Anfey so he kept quiet with an almost-crying face. In fact, he was quite confused. Anfey’s group killed the soldiers escorting him. They should be coming to save him, but they did not look like they were here to save him.

“I heard once when you were drunk, you told some of your maids that you wanted to build a city of beauties and to have all the young girls in the principality live in your city. A maid suggested you kill all the men in the principality so you would not have to build a city of beauties. You praised her for her good idea. Did you do it?” Anfey asked.

“Master, I said those words when I was drunk. It’s all bullsh*t,” Darius said.

“I just asked you whether you said so.” Anfey said.

“Yes, sir,” Darius answered obediently.

“I heard you cut off a maid’s legs and froze them in the icing kekkai only because you thought she had beautiful feet. You said her beauty would not fade as time went by. Did you did do it?” Anfey asked.

“Yes.” Darius was more scared. He felt Anfey’s group was here to take revenge for some innocent victim. The things Anfey asked about were quite well-known in the city so he could not deny them.

“The law of having girls give their virginity to kings was abolished a thousand year ago, but you enforce it again with force in your principality. You ordered the newly wed civilian couples to send the bride to your palace to take her virginity. There were more girls than you could enjoy so you spared some for your officials and hatch men. Did you do it?” Anfey asked.

“Yes,” Darius answered.

“It’s great that you are being honest with me. As long as you are honest, I will not hurt you.” Anfey smiled. “I do not mean to insult you. What I am saying is meant to remind you what an a**hole you are.”

Darius did not look like Darius anymore. He looked more like a beggar, begging for mercy from Anfey. He stared up at Anfey.

Anfey took out a scroll from his Dimensional ring and opened it in front of Darius. Anfey asked casually, “Do you know this woman?”

Darius took a close look at the paint and answered in a low pitch, “No, I do not know her.”

The painting was Suzanna. Even though Darius hid it very well, the faster heart beats, the changes in his pores and in his eyes proved he knew Suzanna. He had to deny it for some reason.

“You are lying,” Anfey said coldly.

“Master, I really do not know her,” Darius yelled at the top of his voice. After he had been caught by the Ellisen Empire, he had been lectured a lot to persuade Anfey into surrendering to the Ellisen Empire. He had denied that Suzanna was his daughter, but he didn’t even remember what she looked like anyway.

Anfey lifted his chin a bit. Two rangers pressed Darius to the ground. One of the rangers pulled the sword out backhanded. Anfey sighed quietly. The qualities of the rangers were in wide ranges. If it were Ye, he would not act this way. Ye would kill him if Anfey asked so. He would not press Darius on the ground like the ranger had.

“Master, killing me won’t make me know her. I really do not know her,” Darius complained. In fact, what he insisted had nothing to do with humanity or righteousness. He did it for himself. He had built so much hatred since he fell from powerful Darius into a criminal. When others bluffed, threatened him, they always mentioned Anfey and Suzanna. He got to know from their conversations that Suzanna had married Anfey and had accomplished a lot with Anfey. It would not do any good to him to hurt Suzanna. She was his last straw. If Suzanna went down, he would lose all his value and usage. He could picture what his life would be if that happened. If he could hold on until the end, even if he was tortured to death, at least he still got a person to take revenge for him.

Anfey quietly looked at Darius. It was a test for Darius. If Darius did not pass it, Anfey would kill him even though it might make Suzanna angry at him. It looked like Darius was not stupid.

“Robert,” Anfey said slowly, “can you take him to your place. I will make arrangements for him later.”

“Master, I think we’d better…” Robert tried to convince Anfey to kill Darius.

“Follow my order,” Anfey said.

Chapter 492: Secret

“This is too risky,” Christian said, his worried eyes staring at the map of Blackwater City.

No one had predicted this situation beforehand. The League had almost tripled the numbers of mages under Anfey’s command. With six hundred mercenaries, everyone thought that the advantage would be on the mercenary’s side.

The knowledge of the presence of elven archers in Blackwater City changed that. Even a normal elven archer was better than a human archer, and the archers in Blackwater City were the best of the best. Even a mage was no match for hundreds of arrows.

They could tell how powerful the elves were just from reading the number of casualties. From the initial contact to the full scale conflict, they had lost thirty seven mages. Never before had they lost so many mages in a single battle.

“Where did Lord Anfey go?” Ozzic said, frowning. “This wouldn’t have happened if he were here.” Ozzic was at the front of the attack and lost three hundred mercenaries. Out of the three thousand Shield of Light soldiers that went with him, less than half returned.

Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had been trying expand their numbers since the beginning of the war against the dead and had help from Ellisen Empire, the elves, and the druids. However, the League still had more fighters.

Blackwater City gave Tiger of Tawau mercenary group an advantage the League did not have. Manstuly was also putting in everything he had. No one had experience fighting such a bloody battle.

A seasoned general wouldn’t care about the casualties. They only cared about victory, but Christian was still too young.

Entos had experienced battles and Kumaraghosha was a skilled soldier and seasoned general, but neither had the rank to interfere with Christian’s decision-making. They knew that Christian was still young and they couldn’t tell Christian that the only way to take down Blackwater City was to sacrifice another half of the League.

“Alice, do you know where Anfey is?” Christian asked.

“How would I know?” Alice replied with a frown. She glanced at Suzanna. Suzanna was Anfey’s wife, and if anyone in the room knew where he was, it would be Suzanna.

Suzanna shook her head. “He didn’t tell me anything,” she said. She sighed and turned to Christian, “Let Anthony and I go. I am confident that the two of us can break through their defense.”

“We can’t do that,” Christian said, shaking his head. Top level powers were often used to turn the tide in a battle, but there were top level powers in Blackwater City as well. They only know about Manstuly, but no one knew whether the elves had any hidden trump cards. If Suzanna and Anthony got themselves into trouble, the League would lose two major powers. Christian knew the League could not afford that.

“Why don’t we stop for a bit?” Kumaraghosha asked. “A temporary truce, until Lord Anfey comes back.” Kumaraghosha could tell that neither Christian nor Alice could make important decisions. Without Anfey, they would just keep arguing and would not reach a proper decision.

“There’s something wrong with this,” Ye whispered.

“What is it?” Christian asked.

“I don’t know how to put it,” Ye said, shaking his head. “Normally, Lord Anfey would tell someone where he’s going and how long he’ll be gone.”

“Maybe he’s doing something that’s top secret,” Blavi said.

“Even so, he would tell us something.”

“He’s always alone,” Christian said. “Maybe he can’t find anyone.”

“I don’t know,” Ye said. “Normally he would have told us something, sent a message or something.”

“He can’t be…”

“No way,” Christian said. “If something did happen to Anfey, Manstuly wouldn’t be so quiet.”

Blavi nodded. He glanced around and asked, “Where’s Lord Anthony? I just saw him here a few minutes ago.”

“David just came in,” Zubin said. “They left together.”

—

Even though David had asked Christian to let him join the battle, Christian had refused. This was why Glory mercenary group had not lost any men yet.

In the corner of the camp, Anthony was staring at a middle-aged man. After a few moments, Anthony sighed. “I can’t believe you came here, Otto. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you?”

“I hope not,” Otto said. “We are friends, after all. You wouldn’t do that to a friend, would you?”

“It’s not me,” Anthony said. “You’re forcing my hand. You’re working for Mourtta now, and Glory mercenary group is not a place you can come and go as you please.”

“I see,” Otto said. “You think that I’m here on Mourtta’s behalf, don’t you?”

“Aren’t you?”

Otto shook his head. “I’m a merchant now,” he said. “I don’t want to serve anyone else, which is why I left Blackwater City.”

“And you’re here now because you want to work for me?”

“No,” Otto said, shaking his head. “I’m going to Tumen Commercial Union. That’s the last peaceful place in the world.”

“This is not Tumen.”

“I’m here to tell you a secret, Anthony,” Otto said. “Don’t you want to know?”

“Interesting,” Anthony said. “Keep talking.”

“Maybe you won’t believe it, but…well, I suppose I’m repaying my debt to you. I know Mourtta and Manstuly aren’t good people, but you have to realize neither is Anfey.”

“That alone is enough reason to kill you here.”

“I wouldn’t be saying this if I wasn’t ready for the consequences,” Otto said. “Allow me to finish.” He paused, then continued, “Do you remember what happened last year? What caused the war? Why did Mourtta suddenly attack? Aren’t you curious?”

Anthony frowned. Seeing a reaction from him, Otto hurriedly continued, “You’re too righteous, Anthony. You don’t want to see…” Before he could finish, Anthony drew his sword and slashed at Otto’s neck. Otto gurgled and fell to the ground.

“I apologize, old friend,” Anthony said. He sighed and shook his head.

“Father!” David said with wide eyes. “Don’t you want to know the secret?”

“Remember, David,” Anthony said, wiping the blood off of his sword with a piece of Otto’s clothes. “There are a lot of secrets in the world. Most of those secrets are better off left alone. Knowing those secrets will change nothing. It will only cause a rift between you and the people you care about.”

Chapter 493: Bad News

Long-awaited, Anfey finally came back to the station the second day after the battle broke out. His appearance made Christian and the others feel a little less tense. They did not have smiles on their faces for long before the soldiers who came back to the station after Anfey shared the shocking and sensational news. Scarlet did not die and Baery lost his battle at One-Line-Sky.

The Shansa Empire’s military had been fleeing towards the northwest. They looked like they wanted to retreat from the main street on the Wild Plain to the Ellisen Empire. The Ellisen Empire had sent out their military to help them. Baery could not sit there and do nothing about it. He chased after the Ellisen Empire’s military, but was ambushed at a valley called One-Line-Sky.

Those few estafettes did not look too good. Estafettes were not high positions, so they did not understand Baery’s whole plan. Anfey and Alice had to ask them for a quite long time but only got a draft of Baery’s plan.

The two Griffin Aerial Units lead by Scarlet were very tough at the battle. They had been covering for the main force since they decided to flee. They constantly harassed the Death Roaring Legion and attacked their scouts. Baery was the person who would definitely fight back if he was attacked. He camouflaged mages and senior swordsmen on the scouting team and turned Scarlet’s trick against her to hunt for griffin riders.

There was no other legion as flexible as the griffin riders. After they lost few battles, they changed their strategies. They reduced the number of attacks but make each attack at a large scale. Hundreds of griffin riders attacked a scouting team with less than ten people in it. Even mages and senior swordsmen hidden in the scouting team could not change the situation. They did not even have the hope to escape.

After dozens of deaths on each side, Baery finally could not take any more loss. The number of elite scouts was reduced to half, over forty mages died in the battles, and two generals died as well. The griffin riders were quite tough in the battles. They tried to keep their advantageous position in the sky no matter what it would have costed them. In the end, Baery had to ask the scouting team to retreat and handed the scouting job to the mages. He asked the mages to constantly release the Sky of Eyes to keep an eye on their opponents.

One-Line-Sky had very weird terrain. It looked like an array of pointy tents on both sides of the valley. The valley was wide at the bottom but narrow on the top. The mountains on both sides were about 600 meters high, slanted upwards. The higher they went, the closer the mountains got. The top of the mountains almost touched each other. Looking from the bottom, only a line of sky was seen. This was the origin of its name: One-Line-Sky.

There were nearly thousands of springs and hot springs in the valley within a thirty mile radius. The valley had been submerged in fog and created many challenges for the Sky of Eyes.

Dean Steger released the Sky of Eyes and saw countless Shansa Empire soldiers crossing the valley and continuing to flee away from them. However, he could not see what happened in the valley well because of the fog. Steger and Arch Alchemist Jacob decided to pay a trip to the valley, but they did not notice anything unusual there.

Officials and soldiers in the Death Roaring Legion kept asking to chase after Scarlet’s military. It was strange to see Baery taking out a letter to read at such a critical moment. He finally gave the order to chase after Scarlet’s military after reading it for a long time.

After about a quarter of the soldiers walked into the valley, a hidden gigantic magic array was triggered. All of the soldiers died in the valley.

Many magics were only effective for a short period of time. For instance, Marshal magic and Firewall Magic. After the elements dispersed, the scene should have gone back to its original look. However, the damages caused by magic were permanent. For example, a big fireball could create a large hole in the ground. The gigantic magic array set by Scarlet released strong earthquake waves. As the earth shook stronger and stronger, more than half of the mountains in the One-Line-Sky’s valley collapsed. The famous One-Line-Sky wonder completely disappeared from this world forever. It was replaced by countless rock tombs of different sizes. Over ten thousand soldiers of the Death Roaring Legion were buried in those rock tombs.

Baery immediately made the decision to ask the Death Roaring Legion to retreat. His decisiveness kept some of the Death Roaring Legion alive. It was not time for them to attack Scarlet’s military. No matter how tough the soldiers were, they were still human, not men of steel. They each had their own emotions, principles and fears. When they watched their peers walk into the valley and disappear forever, it crushed them.

The appearance of Scarlet was a miracle. Her flag rose up again. Unfortunately, the only path of escape was destructed by her earthquakes. Their destination was thirty miles away with a direct path. If she wanted to travel around the mountains, she had to walk a hundred miles more, which gave Baery time to regroup.

The chasers became the escapers in the blink of an eye while the escapers became the chasers. The situation changed as fast as a game of checkers.

Baery definitely would not have dared to fight Scarlet. He led the Death Roaring Legion to chase after her and took advantage of not having a leader in the Shansa Empire’s military. Without a leader, their military did not know what to do without any orders. If Scarlet hadn’t died yet, Baery needed to meet up with the Shield of Light Legion as soon as possible.

Those few estafetes brought Baery shocking news. To the east of the Country of Mercenaries, in Stormenburg, mercenaries found thousands of knights from the Shansa Empire running towards Stormenburg. They were the Guardian Knights of Edward VIII of the Shansa Empire. Countless griffin riders flew over the sky. Roughly estimating, there were at least six Griffin Aerial Squadrons.

The Griffin Aerial team was composed of three fighting battalions and one training battalion. Each battalion had three flying squadrons. Anfey had wiped out one of their squadron with his peers. Two of the squadrons were with Scarlet. Now they had six flying squadrons with Guardian Knights, which meant Edward VIII of the Shansa Empire played his last card. He was fighting for his life with Yolanther.

The Shansa Empire military attacked neither Stormenburg, nor White Mountain City even though they were easy targets. They travelled directly towards the southwest. Their goal was to take control of Cross Valley to cut off the bridge for both the Death Roaring Legion and the Shield of Light Legion in order to wipe out both legions before Yolanther could send a renforcement team to help.

The atmosphere deteriorated and became deathly quiet after they heard the news. Everyone fixed their eyes on Anfey. They wondered what happened. Hadn’t Anfey killed Scarlet? If Anfey did not earn his supreme reputation through danger, there might have been someone standing out to doubt him. Alice seemed to be the most upset. When Anfey told her that he killed Scarlet, she felt relieved despite her regrets. When she learned that Scarlet came back to life, she was really upset.

“Don’t look at me. I definitely killed Scarlet,” Anfey said calmly. In fact, Anfey was not in a good mood either. “I am pretty sure I killed her.”

“Then why is she still alive?” Blavi asked timidly.

“There must be someone who saved her with some miracle.” Anfey said assertively. He was confident about his abilities. Scarlet definitely died.

“Did…” Hui Wei’s face turned pale. He jumped up suddenly.

“What is it?” Anfey immediately looked at Hui Wei.

“Nothing, it is impossible.” Hui Wei forced a smile.

“Hui Wei, aren’t we friends?” Anfey asked in a low pitch.

Anfey sounded very nice, but Hui Wei definitely sensed the seriousness in Anfey’s words. His lips trembled slightly. Hui Wei did not respond for a while then answered with the same serious and assertive tone as Anfey. “Yes!”

“Great! Can you stay after everyone leaves?” Anfey asked.

“Yes, sir.” Hui Wei was a smart guy. He knew he was able to keep secrets from Anfey before, but not anymore. He had to give Anfey an explanation on why Scarlet came back to life. He needed to help Anfey explain to everyone that he did kill Scarlet.

“Hui Wei, can you tell us? We want to know too,” Blavi asked.

“Well… sure.” Hui Wei had a bitter smile on his face. “My guess is that Scarlet has the Ring of Immortality.”

“Ring of Immortality?” Many people asked together in surprise. They had never heard of such a thing.

“The Ring of Immortality and Anfey’s Heart of Nature are Holy Artifacts. The Wheel of Fortune is the last artifact of the Three Holy Artifacts. I don’t really know what the Ring of Immortality can do, just as we do not know what the Heart of Nature can do. Only the owners of the Holy Artifacts know their secrets. Judging from its name, we could guess what it can do,” Hui Wei said slowly.

“Can Scarlet never be killed?” Sante yelled out of surprise.

“I do not think the Holy Artifacts could be that powerful. If Scarlet’s body was crushed into a pulp, I don’t think anyone could save her,” Hui Wei said.

“Let’s not talk about this for right now. The problem is what we should do now. The Shansa Empire military attacked neither Stormenburg nor White Mountain City, but Scarlet would definitely fight us since we did cause her a lot of trouble. We have two days to either get ready for the fight or retreat. Anfey, can you give us any orders on that?” Christian asked in a low pitch.

“If Scarlet could communicate with Edward VIII, she definitely could pass the news that she has won the battle in Blackwater City to him. What do you guys think Manstuly is thinking right now?” Anfey asked.

Chapter 494: Innocence

Blackwater City had turned into a large festival. Even Manstuly, who had been wearing a frown for days, smiled. Baery had retreated and no one knew what Anfey was doing. No matter how disciplined, mercenaries were no match for real soldiers. Manstuly was very worried about Anfey after he heard the news that he had killed Michael. Now that Anfey and his league were losing, Manstuly felt more reassured.

The elves were the happiest of everyone. The elves may be very efficient fighters and master archers, they still did not like it. The elves were a part of nature and they were more in tune with nature than humans. They could not handle death and destruction as well as the mercenaries. The sight of death and blood made many of the elves sick. The end of the battle made many of the elves very happy.

Because of their nature, it was very hard for the elves to recreate the glory of the ancient elven empires.

A young elf woman was stopped as she walked through the streets of the city. Because the mercenaries in Blackwater City feared and respected Hotchbini, no one dared do anything to the elves, which was why the young elf was surprised. She stopped and glanced at the person’s face, then froze.

In front of her was a young man in pale red robes. He was tall and more handsome than most mercenaries. However, that was not why she froze. There was something about the young man that felt very familiar to her.

Anfey saw a glimmer of recognition and confusion in the elf’s eyes and knew that it was the Heart of Nature at work. He grinned at the young elf.

“Sorry,” Anfey said. “I need some help. Can I ask you a question?”

“What is it?” the young elf asked, curious.

“Do you know where Yalbevin is?”

“You know Yalbevin?”

“Yes,” Anfey said, nodding. “She is a good friend of mine.”

“Yalbevin isn’t here,” the young elf said. “I don’t think she came with us. To be honest, I haven’t seen her in a long time.”

“I see,” Anfey said. “What about Wiss? Do you know where she is?”

“You know Wiss too?” the young elf asked, surprised. Both Wiss and Yalbevin were well known for their excellence.

“She’s a friend of mine, as well,” Anfey said.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” the young elf said, shaking her head. “Wiss isn’t here, either. Really.”

The young man sighed in disappointment. “What about Paglia? Please tell me she’s here?”

“You know Paglia, too?” the young elf asked, shocked.

“Of course,” Anfey said.

“But you don’t look like her friend.”

“Do I not?”

The young elf glanced at the young man. Paglia was one of the best archers and best fighters among the elves. Shouldn’t her friends at least be just as powerful? The young man was clearly just a beginner.

“Can you tell me your name?” the young elf asked.

“I’m Fian,” Anfey said. “Please tell Paglia that her old friend is looking for her.”

“But Paglia isn’t here, either,” the young elf said, shaking her head.

“She’s not here either?” Anfey’s eyes widened and his grin faded. “Oh, this is bad!”

“Oh!” the young elf said. “I remembered. I heard that they’re all away with Lord Bruzuryano. Do you need to speak with them immediately?” She knew that she had just revealed a big secret, but she felt strangely familiar with this young man and she felt comforted by him.

“It seems like Paglia is very important among your kind,” Anfey said.

“Of course,” the young elf said, nodding. “Do you not know?”

“No,” Anfey said, shaking his head. “She never told me.”

“Can I ask you something?” the young elf asked. “If you don’t mind, that is,” she hurriedly added.

“How did you become friends with Paglia?”

“Well, we ran into each other,” Anfey said. “But I think I still like Wiss more than Paglia.”

“You do?” the young elf asked with wide eyes, clearly surprised.

“Am I wrong?”

The young elf looked at him, then giggled. “You fell for her trap,” she said. “That must be it.”

“Trap? What trap?”

The young elf shook her head. “Don’t worry. Please don’t tell Paglia I said that, though!”

“Of course not,” Anfey said. “Do I look like someone who gossips?”

“Humans are complicated,” the young elf said with a shrug.

“I swear,” Anfey said. “I won’t tell Paglia anything.”

The young elf smiled. “I’m not worried,” she said. “What do you need them for?”

Anfey glanced around and grabbed the young elf, taking her to a quiet alley nearby. He lowered his voice and said, “If Paglia isn’t here, then I must trouble you. What is your name?”

“Catherine.”

“Lord Mauso has urgent news, Catherine,” Anfey said. “He wants me to hand it to the commander of the elves.”

“Lord Mauso?” Catherine’s eyes widened. “What kind of news?”

Anfey sighed. “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” he said. “But Lord Mauso asked me keep it a secret. I don’t think he wants Lord Manstuly to know, either.”

“Why?” Catherine asked, frowning.

Anfey sighed. He had picked Catherine because he could tell she was one of the most powerful archers. He didn’t expect her to be so innocent to the level of idiocy.

Of course, Catherine was just a special case. She was too kind and too trusting. Elves could be cold-blooded and cruel in a fight, but when they talked with someone they trusted, their innocence would show through.

“I don’t know,” Anfey said, shaking his head. “It’s just Lord Mauso’s order. Catherine, can you take me to your commander? This is urgent.” He needed to take out the elves’ commander, but when he approached the elves’ camp, he discovered some trees that reacted to his presence. He didn’t want to startle anyone and decided to switch plans.

“I can try,” Catherine said.

“Thank you so much,” Anfey said with a smile.

Catherine nodded. “Come with me,” she said, turning back towards the direction she came from.

Anfey glanced around to make sure that no one noticed their conversation and quickly followed Catherine.

Chapter 495: Unsuccessful Rescue

No one stopped Anfey from entering Blackwater City after he walked with Catherine. South of Blackwater City, the houses in a large residential area had been torn down to make it into the station for the elves. Anfey couldn’t care less about whether or not those residents wanted to move and where they moved to because those were problems for Mourtta and Hotchbini.

The elf station was tranquil and peaceful. In fact, it was highly guarded. There were four ancient trees at each corner of the station and they were connected with bushes.

Beyond the trees and bushes were the training and rest areas for elves. From the outside, other than the area around the entrance, no sentinel could be seen. However, whenever there anyone wanted to cross the bushes or get close to the ancient trees, the elves noticed. All of the elves noticed, not just a few of them. It was because elves had the ability to connect with nature in a special and mysterious way. As they grew older, their communicative ability with nature grew stronger. Even though their communicative ability with nature was not as strong as Anfey’s Nature of Heart, it could not be underestimated.

Slave Hunting was such a profitable profession. Once a slave hunter hunted one elf, they did not need to work for three years. A Slave Hunting team could tell that it was a difficult task to catch an elf in the forest from the frequency which they caught them. The elves who fell into the traps were in unusual conditions. For instance, they could be sick, too upset or too young. Anfey could attack elves before because he had the help of his Nature of Heart. The ancient trees in the four corners were not just regular trees, but special trees that the elves relied on to guard them. They were War Ancient Trees.

Catherine treated Anfey as her friend. She answered every question he had for her. Sometimes she even told him more information before he even asked for it.

There were over twenty elf sentinels at the entrance of the station but none stopped Anfey. They even greeted him with smiles. It might have been either because he walked with Catherine or they sensed the nature feeling from Aney.

The atmosphere in the elves’ station was light and happy. The appearance of elves was quite different than humans’. Anfey had the illusion of coming to a Miss Elf show in a modern internet game. The male elves walking by Anfey were handsome while females were pretty. In comparison to humans, elves would have definitely stood out. They were all fit. None of the elves was overweight. They all looked like models.

The elves Anfey passed neither doubted him nor looked at him with doubt. They all greeted him with their smiles. Some even greeted and talked to Catherine. Everything seemed to be good, but Anfey felt some uneasiness.

Elves made the whole station into a green place with grass, trees and ponds. They played in the forest or next to the ponds. They were only soldiers when they had to pick up their weapons to fight, but they were not good warriors. Once they put down their weapons, they became innocent kids again. For the older elves, some seemed to focus on cutting seals, some chanted their own poems while others gathered to listen to other older elves tell them old legends.

Anfey felt nothing was related to war. Elves loved nature and life. When not forced, most elves did not want to hurt others.

Humans usually lived in a world with one foot in chaos and the other foot in order. It was hard to tell which person was nice and which was evil. Elves were all very pure and innocent. They were not as complicated as humans.

After Anfey came to this world and became Saul’s student, he had to act in the interests of the whole group. He believed that everyone could have been divided into three categories: friends, enemies and strangers, no matter if it was a he or she, or if they were beautiful or ugly, nice or evil. Anfey heard many stories about elves. He knew the nature of the elves, but he killed them without any hesitation or mercy when it came to the bottom line.

If Anfey knew Bruzuryano before Saul and received his help, he might have prioritized his interests and thought of him and the elves first. They might have even been friends fighting together in this battle.

Anfey was not a cold person. It had nothing to do with whether the person was male or female, beautiful or ugly, nice or evil when it came to making friends. There was a saying that everything was tied up in their common interests. This saying had been overused but it was the truth.

“It is just ahead of us.” Catherin turned around and smiled at Anfey.

“Okay.” Anfey nodded with smiles. At the same time, he slowed his pace a little.

“Are you tired?” Catherine asked with concern.

“No, I am not tired. I just feel something is going to happen,” Anfey said.

“What is going to happen?” Catherine asked.

“Listen,” Anfey said.

Catherine focused on listening but did not hear anything. When she was about to ask Anfey again, waves of yelling came from everywhere. The League of Mercenaries started their attack.

The order Anfey gave to the League of Mercenaries was quite simple— take over Blackwater City at any cost!

Not everyone was able to be a leader. First of all, he would have to have the ability to take risks and let things go. Sometimes, he would have to fight with everything he had. There was a saying that the braver one won if two met to fight. Sometimes he had to suffer. Good leaders had to be able to see hope as in the saying, “where there was life, there was hope.” Anfey did not mean to take revenge on the elves. The reason he gave the order to take over Blackwater City at any cost was for the sake of his long-term goal.

The time when four supreme mercenary groups dominated the Country of Mercenaries had passed. Anthony and Marino worked for Anfey. Batusimon swore his loyalty to Yolanther. At this moment, the League of Mercenaries and Tiger Tawau’s mercenary group competed on equal terms. They both had less than one quarter of the mercenaries in the Country of Mercenaries. Many mercenaries had been waiting and watching.

Many mercenaries might have made misjudgments on the current situation and taken stance with Tiger Tawau’s mercenary group after Baery lost his battle and the League of Mercenaries had to flee from Scarlet. Anfey worried that Tiger of Tawau’s mercenary group grew very fast as the League of Mercenaries did before. If the League of Mercenaries was able to defeat Tiger of Tawau’s mercenary group, everything else would have been easy. No matter if it was Scarlet, druids or elves, they would lose their advantage in the Country of Mercenaries. They would receive resistance from the mercenaries. By then, if Anfey called for those mercenaries, they definitely would join the League of Mercenaries to fight for him.

Therefore, that night, Mourtta and Hotchbini had to die.

After understanding Anfey’s intentions, the temporary chief in command, Kumaraghosha made a life threatening plan. Other than Anfey’s bodyguards, reserves under Kumaraghosha’s leadership started attacking Blackwater City from all directions. Anfey’s bodyguards would not have stayed behind for long. Once the reserves had a breakthrough, they would have gone over to help.

“Damn it!” Catherine’s face changed when she heard the yelling. She had no time to take care of Anfey. She ran straight forward. “Hey, guys, assemble, hurry up!”

Blackwater City did not prepare for the battle. They thought Anfey would definitely retreat. They did not think his 20,000 mercenaries would have been a match for Scarlet’s military. It was impossible. Scarlet had griffin riders. No matter who became the griffin riders’ target, they would have no hope to escape.

The whole station was in chaos. Elves ran over hurriedly to the grass and lined up. Anfey observed with his sensing ability, but he did not find the sunset archer he fought a few days ago. There was a saying that “birds of a feather flock together and things of one kind came together.” The sunset archer should have been with Manstuly but was not in the station.

Elves lined up according to their positions. Dozens of archers lined up in the front and discussed something nervously. Catherine was one of them. Soon, a male elf was selected as the temporary Chief in Command. He raised his voice and gave out an order.

“Catherine, where are you going?” Anfey asked at the top of his voice.

Catherine turned around quickly and saw Anfey. “Feyan, the battle is going to start. You’d better stay here. Don’t go out. It is dangerous outside.”

“Don’t go!” Anfey walked towards Catherine as he talked. He never had the chance to be friends with elves and learn about their lives. There was no doubt that Anfey thought Catherine was silly, but her innocent and carefree personality had won his heart. He thought he was stupid, but he still wanted try to save these silly elves.

“What?” Catherine looked surprised.

“Catherine, who is he?” the temporary Chief in Command asked when he noticed Anfey.

“This is Mr. Feyan. He is a good friend of Paglia and Yalbevin,” Catherine explained to him immediately.

“Mr. Feyan,” the temporary Chief in Command seemed very nice, “don’t go anywhere else. It’s best to stay here for your safety.” He did not seem to be a good pick since he blindly trusted Anfey after only an introduction from his peer.

“Catherine, don’t you remember the message from Mauso?” Anfey asked slowly. “Mr. Mauso asked me to pass a message on to you that Bruzuryano signed a Peace Agreement with Yolanther. As long as you do not join the battle, the League of Mercenaries will not hurt you.”

The elves were all shocked. The temporary Chief in Command looked cold. “Mr. Feyan, are you from the League of Mercenaries?”

“No, I am the messenger of Mr. Mauso,” Anfey said.

“Mr. Feyan, this is our business. You do not have to worry about it.” The temporary Chief in Command looked nice again. “You do not know the whole story yet. Many elves were killed by the League of Mercenaries. There was a saying from humans that ‘blood is for blood.’ Our elves have endured much. This time, we will not let them take advantage of us.”

“Well.” Anfey heaved a slight sigh. The next moment, the pitch-black sky became as bright as daylight. A twisted silver snake shot down from the sky and covered a radius of dozens of meters.

Chapter 496: Conflicts

Elves weren’t great at defense and couldn’t do much to protect themselves from the serial lightning.

Anfey was a very cruel person. Even though he felt guilty, he still did not want to waste time talking to the elves after being rejected.

All the archers in the camp were victims of his attack. Because most of the elves were in the same area, it saved Anfey a lot of time. The lightning could easily strike several elves at once, leaving them either dead or paralyzed and unable fight.

As the lightning dimmed, Anfey readied himself for another spell.

Dark red light shone through the ground, followed immediately by the formation of a large lava pool. Usually, lava pools have no effect on elves. However, a lot of the elves were unable to move and unable to get away from the lava.

Most of the elves’ faces showed great confusion and fear, which made Anfey feel very guilty about what he was doing. He turned his face away so he wouldn’t be distracted.

“No!” a voice distracted Anfey. He turned and saw a male elf running towards him.

Anfey knew the elf. He was one of the best archers there. Seeing his companions and friends dying, he was clearly very distraught and did not think about what he was doing. He was an archer and should keep his distance, but he was running towards his opponent.

Usually, archers weren’t the most brave people. Only swordsmen had the guts to run towards their enemies because they were well-protected by their combat power. Archers should be calm and collected in order to assess a situation. Clearly, this elf had forgotten that he should remain calm.

Anfey sighed. He streaked through the air towards the elf, elements forming into a small storm around him.

The elf saw Anfey’s face but he did not recognize him immediately. It was only after he saw the elemental storm around him that he remembered who Anfey was.

The elf tried to change his path and nocked an arrow. He was one of the best archers among the elves and had the ability to attack under any circumstances. However, both Anfey and he were very fast, and by the time he wanted to change his course, it was too late.

Anfey summoned his axe as the elf released a beam of green light. Anfey and the elf crashed into each other, both disappearing in a cloud of debris. A moment later, Anfey’s figure reappeared, standing tall, but the elf was already limp on the ground.

The elves that were standing nearby were spared, but had lost all will to fight after seeing the death of their commanders and their squad leader. Elves did not like fighting in the first place. Without someone to command them, all they wanted to do was leave.

The northwestern corner of Blackwater City was also under attack. Countless fireballs, lightning, and wind blades were hurled at someone standing on the city wall. The figure did not move to avoid being hit. Instead, he simply raised his arms and deflected the attack. “Suzanna!” he bellowed. “Are you so cowardly that you won’t even face me?”

“Save it,” Anthony called in return. “I never thought you would stoop so low! Where is your fairness when you attacked Suzanna?”

“Anthony!” Manstuly called back. “You’re the one to talk! You’re just Anfey’s lapdog! A dog, I say!”

“Better a lapdog than a dead one like you,” Anthony replied calmly.

Manstuly was very rude, and his words would have angered another more narrow-minded person. However, Anthony did not let the words bother him. He was fighting with Suzanna not only because he was trying to break into the city, but also because he was trying to protect Suzanna. He knew that the only person Manstuly hated enough among them was Suzanna. Even if Suzanna agreed to fight against Manstuly, Anthony would try to stop or help her.

Anthony’s history with Suzanna and Anfey not had been a good one. His wife tried to kill Alice, and Mourtta tried to plant a seed of doubt in Anthony’s heart by sending Otto with a secret. However, Antony had already betrayed Ellisen Empire. He was a mercenary, but he did not like betrayal. He would not betray Yolanthe again. Anfey’s reaction to Nishieva’s plan made Anthony trust him. Anfey must have known Nishieva was part of the plan to kill Alice, but he didn’t do anything. This was why Anthony decided that Anfey was a good man to work with.

Entos’s figure flashed into existence behind Manstuly and slashed at him with a dagger. Manstuly ducked easily and Entos disappeared from the city walls again.

“What are we waiting for?” Entos asked as he reappeared, waving his dagger.

Christian smiled, then turned and gave an order to the mages. He only had about a hundred mages with him, but the combined power of a hundred mages was still a significant threat. The mages raised their hands and chanted together. A large bolt of lightning crackled into existence and struck Manstuly.

Lightning spells were very dangerous, even Anfey could not get away from a lightning spell. Manstuly had gone berserk, but he was still a little bit slower than lightning.

Anthony waved his sword and he burst into light with combat power. He dashed towards the city. Suzanna followed right behind, bursting into light as well.

Entos disappeared, then reappeared behind Manstuly, stabbing at him with his dagger. Even someone like Manstuly was not immune to the paralyzing effects of lightning spells. Entos was just a mage, but he was still able to stab Manstuly and injure him.

Before Manstuly could react, Anthony and Suzanna were upon him, light from their combat power blinding.

Christian watched from afar, ready to attack. He sighed, remembering the first time he met Manstuly. He knew that things had came to this because of Manstuly’s ambition, but he still felt bad.

Chapter 497: Farewell

Anfey walked through the elves’ camp slowly. Due to the death of their commander and the destruction of the camp, the elves had lost their will to fight. All they were trying to do was the escape. Since the elves did not want to fight anymore, Anfey did not try to kill them. He knew that the elves no longer posed a threat. Whenever an elf blocked his way, he pushed him out of the way.

Anfey closed his eyes and expanded his mind, inspecting the situation in Blackwater City.

Suzanna and Anthony were fighting with Manstuly. Their strength was on par with Manstuly’s, and they had the help of hundreds of mages. However, Manstuly was able to defend himself and attack despite being injured.

Anfey could tell that Manstuly’s life force was draining quickly. He did not know what Manstuly did, but he clearly gained more power at the expense of his own life force.

He was using one of the rarest forbidden spells. The spell, referred to as “Madness,” was rarely used in combat because the price the spell caster had to pay in order to use it. However, Manstuly knew that it was impossible for him to take on two top level powers and hundreds of mages at once. No one, including Anfey, was able to achieve something like that. He needed to boost his strength because that was the only way he had a chance.

Anfey frowned. Manstuly focused his attention on Suzanna, who was at a disadvantage because of his use of Madness. Luckily, Anthony was there fighting alongside Suzanna, and Manstuly’s life force was draining. He wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.

The League was winning in other parts of the battle as well— the only exception being the eastern front, which was led by Shinbella.

Both Mourtta and Hotchbini were fighting on the eastern front. Because their closeness, the two were able to coordinate the battle better than common mercenaries. This was how they were able to defend the city against Shinbella for so long. Anfey opened his eyes and rose into the air, heading towards the eastern side of the city.

The eastern front was the bloodiest front of the entire battle. Mourtta stood on the city wall, watching the League’s mercenaries retreat. He was wounded and most of his men were dead. He stared at the enemies, unsure of how long he could last.

Hotchbini was sitting nearby, cradling the body of her child. She turned to Mourtta and whispered, “Do you hate me?”

“What?” Mourtta asked, caught off guard by her question.

“This wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for me,” Hotchbini said with a sigh. “Do you hate me?”

Mourtta smiled and shook his head. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her cheek. “You haven’t changed,” he said softly.

“What?” Hotchbini asked with a frown.

“You might have insisted, but I made the choice. I made a conscious decision, knowing full well how risky it would be. We aren’t people who will settle for mediocrity.” Mourtta sighed and glanced at the enemy army. “So we lost. That is part of life. I just hope that the gods will not separate us after we die.” Mourtta did not spare a glance for their dead son but stared lovingly only at his wife.

Hotchbini did not cry when her trusted guards died in front of her. She did not cry when her son died, either. However, Mourtta’s words brought tears to her eyes. She might have lost everything, but she would have the man she loves until the very end.

“You’re right,” Hotchbini said, her voice shaking. “We made a choice. We did. But our children are innocent. Take them and go.”

“Why?” Mourtta asked, shaking his head. “The mercenaries looked up to me. They trusted me. I cannot throw that away. I cannot run. I am but a man. I am old now, but you still have many years to live. Take the children with you. As long as you are alive, the elves will help them.”

“Me?” Hotchbini said with a laugh. “No. The elves lost many lives because of me. I cannot go back to them like this.” She was ashamed by the consequences her actions brought about. Even if the elves were willing to take her in, she would not stay. She was the one that pushed Mourtta to oppose Anfey. She could not bear the thought of leaving him.

“Don’t be childish,” Mourtta said softly. His words were interrupted by a sudden wave of shouts and stomping. He turned and saw the mercenaries charging towards the city again, led by Shinbella. He turned back to Hotchbini and said, “Please, listen to me. We cannot let our children die with us. Think for them!”

Mourtta turned just in time to see an arrow fly past him and plant itself in Hotchbini’s chest. She gasped in pain and raised her hand towards him. A second later, her hand fell back to her side and she stilled.

“No!” Mourtta cried out in pain. He flung himself to her side, holding her in his arms. The mercenaries around them watched with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Mourtta held her tight to him and became quiet. Anfey watched in silence. He sensed Mourtta’s pain and pitied him. He wanted to give Mourtta a moment to say goodbye.

Mourtta raised his head and sighed. “It’s for the best,” he said, his voice quivering. “All these years… I should have treated you better.” He leaned in a left a soft kiss on her forehead. “Wait for me,” he whispered. Then he turned and glanced towards the battlefield. He saw Anfey standing not far behind the mercenaries with a longbow in his hand. He sighed and jumped off of the city wall, dashing towards Anfey.

Sensing Mourtta’s anger, Anfey raised his bow and aimed an arrow at him. As the arrow flew towards him, Mourtta did not summon his combat power. Instead, he closed his eyes and recalled the time he spent with Hotchbini over the years.

When the arrow pierced his body and he fell to the ground, Mourtta was smiling, finally free to join the woman he loved.

Chapter 498: Mistakes

After the effects of the forbidden spell faded, Suzanna was able to kill Manstuly easily. After the battle, the League was able to take over Blackwater City very easily.

Even though the League had lost a large number of mercenaries, it was still the first proper battle. The mercenaries did not stop fighting after that and went into the city to look for more fights.

Mourtta controlled the city very well and did not allow anyone who wasn’t a fighter to stay. Because of this, it was very easy to find mercenaries in the streets of Blackwater City.

The battle lasted until early morning. The mercenaries finally grew tired and could not find any more opponents. By morning, most of the mercenaries in the city were killed by Anfey’s mercenaries, and the only people left in the city were women, children, and the elderly.

“What should we do with the elves?” Ye asked.

“What do you mean?” Anfey asked with a frown. “You want them dead?”

“We can’t kill them,” Christian said hurriedly. “They surrendered. Murdering prisoners of war will damage our reputation.”

“We must leave by noon,” Ye argued. “Bringing them along will only slow us down.”

“It’s better if we keep them and sell them,” Anthony said. “We need the money.”

“Don’t you remember? You owe Bruzuryano a favor,” Alice suddenly said. “If you let those elves live and give them to Bruzuryano, you can at least repay some of that favor.”

Christian smiled when he heard Alice. He knew that Anfey listened to Alice, and Alice had a solid reason not to kill the elves. Anfey had admitted that he would never have been as powerful as he was without Bruzuryano’s direct help. He didn’t like owing someone else a favor, and he would surely accept Alice’s plan.

“Alright,” Anfey said with a quick nod. “Take those elves with us, then.”

“What if they slow us down?”

“You have mercenaries working for you. Figure out a way,” Anfey said.

Ye nodded. “Another thing. There are 37 merchant groups in the city. Lady Alice told me to protect those merchants, but my men discovered that all those groups are more or less connected to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Should we still protect them?”

“I need you to protect them because I can think ahead,” Alice said. “We are mercenaries, not robbers. What do you want me to do without merchants? Are you willing to give up your men to farm?”

“Who knows what will happen in the future?” Anfey said, shaking his head. “How many groups are hiding people from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group?”

“We found one,” Ye said. “I suspect a few others, but I don’t have a reason to search them.”

“You don’t have a reason?” Anfey asked, amused.

Ye blinked, then nodded. “I see,” he said.

“No merchants will want to deal with us,” Alice said, shaking her head.

“We will find some that will,” Anfey said. He turned to Alice and asked, “Have you ever fought in a battle?”

“Me?”

“Yes. When Shansa Empire was fighting Maho Empire. Have you ever been to the battlefield?”

“No.”

“I have,” Anfey said. “I’ve been to Blackania City after the war, and I’ve seen Violet City after the war, as well. Do you know what I saw there?”

“What did you see?”

“I saw carnage. Destruction. Death. People have nothing. Even people’s lives cease to be their own. After everything you’ve been through, you should know better than any of us how cruel, how evil humans can be. If you have a chance, you can go around and see that in a place like this, no one has any rights.”

Anfey created the League and he knew it well. He knew that even though there were rules, none of the rules were strictly reinforced. The League was still too young and needed time to settle down. Back in Stormenburg, where strict laws were in place, some mercenaries still caused chaos by fighting each other and assaulting women. Here in Blackwater City, that was almost inevitable.

Alice frowned. Unlike Suzanna, who was a fighter, Alice was a manipulator and had almost never killed anyone. After she killed her attacker in White Mountain City, she was plagued by nightmares. Of course she knew what it must look like outside, and she did not want to see it.

“Truthfully speaking, even Christian must know it’s impractical to protect all the merchants.”

“What?” Christian asked, frowning. “What does that have to do with me?”

Anfey turned to Ye and asked, “What happened after you sent the mercenaries to protect the merchants?”

“A lot of the mercenaries wanted to get into the merchant groups’ establishments,” Ye said. “There were some small fights between the mercenaries and my men, but nothing serious.”

“That’s why I told him to protect the merchants! Was I wrong?”

“Of course not,” Anfey said. “Don’t let anyone get near those buildings. We need to protect those buildings because they contain valuable resources we can use.”

Alice opened her mouth to argue, but Christian hurriedly cut her off. “He’s right,” Christian said. “Don’t worry about the merchants anymore.”

“When are we leaving?” Anthony asked. “I don’t want to delay too much.”

“Noon,” Anfey said. “Give them some time to rest. Ye, take care of those merchants. You can have the carts when we leave.”

Ye nodded.

“Alice,” Anfey called, smirking. “Why don’t you go take a walk with Ye?”

Alice frowned. She knew that An